The interactive effect of positive inequity and regulatory focus on work performance

• We studied reactions to two forms of positive inequity: overpayment and having a job.
• Participants' regulatory focus affected their reactions to positive inequity.
• Positive inequity led to higher performance for promotion than prevention people.
• The results contribute to the literatures on positive inequity and regulatory focus.

The present study examined how the work performance of promotion-focused people and prevention-focused people was affected by two different forms of positive inequity: overpayment and having a job. After completing an initial task, participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) an Overpayment condition in which participants were told that they would receive greater payment than the other participant (who was actually a confederate) for doing the same work, (2) a Having a Job condition in which participants were assigned to have a job while the other participant (the confederate) was dismissed prematurely without compensation, and (3) a Control condition in which participants and the confederate were treated equitably. Relative to their prevention-focused counterparts, promotion-focused participants performed better in both the Overpayment and Having a Job conditions than in the Control condition. Theoretical implications are discussed.